comicbooks.com Join Free
Home › William Tockman
William Tockman
William Tockman

William Tockman

38 appearances · Silver Age · 1960–2026 · 1 key issues
Who is William Tockman?

William Tockman is the Clock King, a meticulous DC villain whose obsession with time gives him an uncanny ability to predict when events will occur down to the second. He has tangled with Batman and Green Arrow, and served on teams including the Suicide Squad and Justice League Antarctica.

Silver Age DC has no shortage of memorable villains, and William Tockman — the obsessive, clock-obsessed schemer who first ticked onto the scene in World's Finest Comics #111 in 1960, courtesy of the legendary Bill Finger and Dick Sprang — is one of the era's more enduringly fascinating figures. Over a remarkable span stretching across six-plus decades, he's kept some of the finest company in the DC Universe, sharing pages with Batman, Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson, and Green Lantern, and turning up most prominently across Titans, Team Titans, and Batman. With 38 catalog appearances and at least one key collector issue to his name, Tockman is the kind of deep-cut Silver Age character that rewards the dedicated fan who loves discovering the rich, eccentric corners of DC history.

Identity

Real name. William Tockman

Powers. Chronometry: Clock King can predict with some accuracy in how many seconds imminent events should happen.

Affiliations. Clockwatchers, Justice League Antarctica, Suicide Squad, Time Foes

★ First appearance
World's Finest Comics #111
Aug 1960

Top series

Covers through the years — 1960–2024

World's Finest Comics #111 1960
World's Finest Comics #111
Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #5 1985
Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #5
Justice League Europe #6 1989
Justice League Europe #6
Team Titans #13 1993
Team Titans #13
DCU: Legacies #4 2010
DCU: Legacies #4
DC Universe: Legacies #[nn] 2012
DC Universe: Legacies #[nn]
Batman #14 2017
Batman #14
Batman #147 2024
Batman #147

Appearances

World's Finest Comics (1941)
Justice League of America (1960)
#5
Wanted. The World's Most Dangerous Villains (1972)
#1
Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe (1985)
#5
Justice League Europe (1989)
Justice League Annual (1987)
#4
Justice League America (1989)
Team Titans (1992)
Showcase '94 (1994)
#10
Batman: The Brave and the Bold (2009)
#3
DCU: Legacies (2010)
#4
Justice League International (2009)
#5
The All-New Batman: The Brave and the Bold (2011)
#10
DC Universe: Legacies (2011)
Injustice: Gods Among Us (2013)
#3
Batman '66 (2013)
#30
Batman (2016)
Nightwing (2016)
#25
Batman: Rebirth Deluxe Edition (2017)
#1
Injustice: Gods Among Us: Year One: The Deluxe Edition (2018)
Wonder Woman: Uncovered (2024)
#1
Titans (2023)
Batman by Tom King (2024)
#1
DC Finest: Zero Hour: Crisis in Time: Part Two (2025)
LEGO Batman FCBD Special Edition (2026)
#1